This invention relates to vehicle seats and adjustment mechanisms therefor. More particularly, this invention relates to height adjustment mechanisms for vehicle seats.
Vehicle seats currently may employ a number of adjustment mechanisms to adapt the seat to a particular person. Where the seat has a suspension system, a weight adjustment mechanism is often provided to adjust the suspension system such that, when the particular person is seated, the seat is disposed at the midpoint of the suspension travel. A fore-aft adjustment mechanism is often provided to move the seat longitudinally with respect to the vehicle to accommodate people of different sizes. Height adjustment mechanisms adapt a seat to people of different sizes by altering the vertical displacement of the seat from the vehicle.
Height adjustment mechanisms typically are operated by grasping a knob-like structure and rotating. A screw or threaded bolt, coupled to the knob, engages the remaining structure of the height adjuster to cause the seat to be moved in a vertical direction. The procedure for adjusting the height of the seat, then, requires a significant effort on the part of the person using the seat and is time-consuming.